wage slavery

“Slavery was abolished 150 years ago, right? While it is true that slavery is illegal almost everywhere on earth, the fact is there are more slaves today than there ever were…”
Robert Alan Silverstein

Millions of our fellow human beings continue to live as contemporary slaves, victims of abominable practices like human trafficking, forced labour and sexual exploitation. Countless children are forced to become soldiers, work in sweat shops or are sold by desperate families. Women are brutalized and traded like commodities. Entire households and villages labour under debt bondage.
Ban Ki-moon

We all tend to think that slavery is a thing of the past, a grave social injustice consigned to history. Unfortunately slavery still thrives ruining the lives of those exploited for their labour. Worldwide it is estimated that there are 40.3 million people used as slave Labour including 10 million children – and not just overseas either, but right here in the UK , USA and other western countries.

In nearly every country worldwide millions of vulnerable people are forced into working for little or no pay, coerced to do so as a result of threats, debt, and violence.

Slavery in the modern world has many guises:

Agriculture, domestic work, factories and women forced into prostitution. Many of the goods we buy are produced by child slaves in sweatshops. 15.4 million people are enslaved by forced marriage. Vulnerable people include the poverty stricken and people discriminated by race or gender. As you will read further down, slavery presents in prisons, particularly in the US where mostly non whites are exploited as slave or cheap labour.

What is most sickening about it is that under Trump as usual the unjust situation is set to get worse as Increases of prisons and detainment centers by upwards of 450%, are planned perpetuating and embedding a system that exploits mostly non whites for private benefit.

It has come to light that the immigrants detained in a private facility, CoreCivic, are being coerced into forced labour, threatened with solitary confinement or restricted visitation rights if they do not comply. While some detainees are paid a very low wage of just $1.50 per day many get no pay at all for working a variety of jobs that really should be undertaken by an employee for a fair living wage, for example kitchen staff, janitors, barbers and various other positions. It is real profit spinner of course for this private facility who save a huge amount on its employee bill .

Housing 25 percent of the world’s prison population the USA has the largest prison system globally upon which it spends a huge $80 billion per year. During the past four decades the prison population has risen by 700 percent, however crime has decreased. Sixty percent of prisoners are non white with black men six times more likely to be imprisoned than whites.

Basically detainees are being exploited through forced labor in prisons and detention centers for corporate gain.

Even though most people think that slavery only exists overseas, modern slavery in the UK is thriving. The British Government estimates that tens of thousands of people are in exploited in modern slavery in the UK today.

10 things you didn’t know about slavery in the UK

The UK Government estimates there are tens of thousands people in slavery in Britain today

Only 1% of enslaved people in the UK have the chance of seeing their exploiter brought to justice

In 2015, over 3,000 people, including nearly 1,000 children, were referred to British authorities as potential victims of slavery

But nearly 40% of them were still awaiting a decision about their victim status at the end of the year

From those who have received a final decision, only less than half were recognised as victims

Victims of slavery are four times less likely to be acknowledged as victims if they are non-European

Up to 34% of victims of slavery are estimated to be re-trafficked

Children are often deliberately targeted for their vulnerability

One in four victims of slavery in the UK is a child

2016 saw the first conviction and sentencing of a British businessman for human trafficking

“Libyan’s are keeping black Africans captive and using them for human trafficking, this completely goes against any human rights. We are one race, the human race. Those involved with the dealing of people need to be scrutinised and stopped. First world countries need to intervene as soon as possible it is an URGENT AND SERIOUS ISSUE!!!! ”https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-stop-modern-day-slavery

Slavery Libya

End Modern Slavery in Libya

“Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed interest in investigating crimes against immigrants in Libya, after the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned about people being sold at slave markets in the country.

Slave markets are springing up across Libya trading impoverished African migrants who have arrived on the Mediterranean coast dreaming of a new life in Europe. A new investigation has revealed people are being sold as modern-day slaves for as little as £300 ($400).”

I am profoundly shocked concerning the exploitation of vulnerable people, such grave social injustice has no place in any ethical progressive society. I fail to understand the mindset of those who exploit others in the name of personal gain, or in other words rampant greed. Life is short, it is precious to all of us and should be lived as much as possible in the way we wish to live. No one should have the right to enslave another, an anachronism of a bygone age many assume which unfortunately is thriving.